Wednesday, February 12, 2014

As a teenager, when I didn’t have a boyfriend, I hated
Valentine’s Day (or, as some “brilliant” kid in high school wrote on a sign in
the hallway, VD Day). I was jealous of all the girls who had someone with whom
to celebrate the holiday.

Once I met my husband, the holiday was much more enjoyable,
filled with romance, candy, stuffed animals and flowers. It wasn’t until we got
married that I truly found out his dislike of the holiday. No, he doesn’t
dislike showing me how much he loves me; he just dislikes having to do it on
some predetermined date set by a card company. He’d much rather show me he
loves me on March 3 or April 27 or ten minutes from now.

Now that I’m older and wiser, I understand his feelings and
can appreciate the thought he’d rather put into his feelings on his own. I,
too, would much rather spontaneously say, “I love you” than say it on command.
And there’s something not quite comfortable about the competition to make the
most of the holiday.

Still, I like anything that celebrates love, which is why I
insist on some form of acknowledgement of the holiday.

It’s also why I like writing romance. While I don’t like
writing perfect characters, I do like writing perfect moments, perfect
reactions, perfect demonstrations of love. They are sprinkled throughout lots
of imperfect moments, unanticipated reactions and less than ideal
demonstrations of emotions. They’re rewarded to imperfect characters who have a
lot to learn before they get those hearts and flowers. But they hopefully give
the reader an escape, a chance to dream about what could be, and a moment away
from the reality of life.

And this Valentine’s Day, nine other author friends of mine
are celebrating love and romance with a Words from the Heart Valentine’s Day
party. Feel free to hop along to any of their blogs and check them out:

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